Ely's `Young' Defense Dominates

Tigers Have 12 Sacks In Shutout Against Wildcats

Davie — Entering the season, Ely's Raybin Williams knew he and his teammates had something to prove, especially after losing all but one defensive starter to graduation.

The Tigers' defense didn't miss a beat.

It kept Western from gaining any yardage and held the Wildcats to three first downs, as Ely dominated Western 28-0 in a wet, sloppy game Friday night.

Western's Cory Fyffe and David Johnson split time at quarterback and were sacked a combined 12 times by the Tiger defense. Williams led the way with four of those sacks.

"It was good for our defense to come out and get those many sacks, knowing that we've always been an offensive team," Williams said. "It's our turn to come out and have a decent season. I was very pleased about that tonight."

As if facing the defending Class 5A state champions wasn't a tough enough task, first-year Western coach Doug Dutton was forced to play the game without Josh Kalb, the Wildcats' top offensive player. Kalb, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in spring practice, watched from the sidelines but said before the game that he should be back next Friday when the Wildcats (0-1) travel to McArthur (0-1).

The Wildcats' running game struggled without its leader. Western fumbled on its first possession, setting up a quick four-play scoring drive for the Tigers (1-0). Greg Blount's 9-yard touchdown run gave the Tigers a 6-0 lead.

Blount finished with seven carries for 63 yards to lead the Tigers' offense.

The Tigers would never look back, with the defense scoring a touchdown. With Western driving in the third, Brandon McNeil sacked Fyffe, forcing a fumble that was returned 27 yards by Deveon Harris. After the extra point, the Tigers led 21-0.

"We're still young, but our defense put a lot of pressure on them tonight and they did a good job," said Ely coach Steve Davis. "Those kids really focused on the game plan and wanted to stop whoever was out there. This game is a building block, but we're not going to get too excited. It's a long season."